Welander
Odd Side Ales

 

 

16 ounce prowler into tulip glass, filled on 11/4/2018. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper, light reddish color with a 1-2 dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big raisin, plum, fig, cherry, date, peach, pear, apricot, orange, red apple, white wine, oak, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, light vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, wine barrel, and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, fig, cherry, date, peach, pear, apricot, orange, red apple, white wine, oak, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, light vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and light wine tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, peach, pear, apricot, orange, red apple, white wine, oak, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, vanilla, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, wine barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness and wine tang/tartness balance; with minimal hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness and wine tang/tartness. Light-medium carbonation and medium full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, sticky/resious/rindy, and tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent wheatwine. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, wine barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; with the modestly bitter/resinous/tannic/drying finish. Not overly aggressive. Great balance of American hops, fruity yeast, rich malts, and wine barrel integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example; but definitely more like an American barleywine than any wheatwine I've ever had.